Due to the near continuous rains this season, the pest attacks, mainly pink bollworm, on the cotton have been lower this year. Also, the TS Government officials ensured that use of herbicide tolerant cotton seeds (HrBt), which is not approved by the Government, is kept low compared to 15% to 16% of the acreage at the national level, said Ram Kaundinya, Director General of industry body Federation of Seed Industry of India.
The cotton sector needs new technology as the yields are stagnant, continue to suffer pest attacks and need weed management. Cotton cultivation using HtBt seeds is considered illegal as the Government has not approved its use yet.
Pickings have begun in Telangana and will start gaining steam this month. Cotton was taken up in about 52 lakh acre. The average yield expected is around 3.5-5 quintal per acre seed cotton (kapas) yield, he said, adding that single-pick cotton is on the rise but will take some more time to hit the 50,000 acre that the Telangana Government targeted, he said.
The single-pick variant offers better quality produce, higher price and needs fewer labour. About 25,000 plants can be accommodated in one acre compared to 8,000-9,000 regular variants, he said.
Source: Telangana Today
